


Raptures of the Deep

by hapgen



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, MH Flash Bang 2018, diver au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-11 22:17:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16861249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hapgen/pseuds/hapgen
Summary: Narcosis while diving (also known as nitrogen narcosis, inert gas narcosis, raptures of the deep, Martini effect) is a reversible alteration in consciousness that occurs while diving at depth. It is caused by the anesthetic effect of certain gases at high pressure.





	Raptures of the Deep

**Author's Note:**

> My piece for the 2018 MakoHaru Flash Bang has finally appeared! My amazing partner, irani-owl on tumblr, did an amazing piece of art to accompany this fic! A big thank you to her for being willing to do art for this. ;u; Also, another big thank you to the mods of the flash bang for putting all of this together! It's been a joy being a part of this event.
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you all enjoy reading!
> 
> Link to Dani's art: https://irani-owl.tumblr.com/post/180817758979/here-goes-the-link-my-second-piece-for-the

_Narcosis while diving (also known as nitrogen narcosis, inert gas narcosis, raptures of the deep, Martini effect) is a reversible alteration in consciousness that occurs while diving at depth. It is caused by the anesthetic effect of certain gases at high pressure._

Haruka checked his diving gear for the third time. He knew that he was ready to go in. His tank was filled, his suit was in good condition, and he was warmed up and ready to go. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel the usual trepidation he felt before he dives. There’s this constant nagging feeling that the water has claws. It will not hesitate to _sink them into you and **pull.**_

But, Haruka knew better.

Nothing has happened to him since his schooling days. Simple instructions, a checklist for his gear and himself, a test to see just how shallow the water was to see if it was even worth getting all the gear out.

All he had forgotten was to check how much air he had left. He had gotten out unscathed, if he didn’t include the fear now nestled deep inside of him. He couldn’t help but look at the water and feel absolute adoration, then this bone-chilling sense that something could happen.

Haruka checked his gear again, making sure that everything was secured. He took a deep breath. It was still a peachy and balmy morning, a few wispy white clouds still tickling the sky. No need to be worried about a storm. The weather report from earlier that day had said that there was a 0% chance of precipitation.

After securing the mask over his face and tapping the regulator, Haruka decided that he needed to tip into the water. He let himself fall from the rock he was resting on and into the refreshing ocean. The water sucked him in as wonderfully as ever- soft and fluid. Haruka looked at the gauge- water pressure was fine, his tank was fine, everything was fine, so he gently let himself sink to the bottom.

It wasn’t too far off. Maybe twenty-five feet. He definitely could’ve gone without his gear, but considering the fact that Haruka was alone, he didn’t want to risk his life. Most divers would use their gear at dives that went to sixty feet. Haruka? He didn’t care. The gear was more of a comfort at this point.

The water was clear. Letting himself sink into the depths was a wonderful feeling- it was like he was letting go of every burden as he slowly, carefully, drifted down. He blinked whenever a sliver of sunlight filtered through the water and shone in his face, enjoying the brief warmth he felt from it.

Haruka peered down to see how close he was to the bottom. He surmised that he was close enough, which meant that he was able to swim now- the best part of diving was making that first kick with his flippers. He leaned forward and let himself kick, then lazily begin to move around. 

Haruka was looking for shells. From what he could tell, the ocean floor looked as soft as ever, the sand brushing ever-so-slightly with every kick he made. He spotted a few shells, but nothing interesting. His collection at home was already full of common shells.

Wait. Haruka paused and swam towards a light, green shell. The light seeping through the top of the water hit in just the right way, and was that a slight sparkle he saw? He hummed and got closer, gently picking up the shell with his hand. He tilted it side to side and checked every feature- it was similar to a conch shell, he supposed, but it was too different. It had a mythical feel to it.

Suddenly, the light dimmed. Haruka glanced up and saw a shadow dart over him. He froze up- as far as he knew, there were no sharks in this area of the coast. There should be no other divers, let alone any sea creatures that were that large. Haruka hurriedly looked at the green shell in his hands, its beauty telling him to swim.  
He slipped the shell into the net attached to his pack and began to swim up. A cursory back and forth glance throughout the water showed no sign of that mysterious creature from before, but Haruka knew that he didn’t imagine it. It had come out of nowhere, he was so perplexed by that shell that he hadn’t bothered to check his surroundings beforehand. That was… not unlike him, honestly.

A tight grip on Haruka’s arm cut him off from his thoughts. Haruka wrenched himself away from whatever was holding him and tugged, terrified that something horrid had caught him. Yet, he was startled to see deep, green eyes in front of him. Haruka felt himself loosen up- which was odd, because he still felt incredibly horrified that he was being held by a sea creature. The green eyes looked bottomless, something hidden away in those depths that Haruka knew he could never decipher. Something else that caught his eye was that those eyes matched that shell.

The creature’s mesmerizing eyes blinked as they looked Haruka straight in the eye, before shooting down to look at Haruka’s waist. Haruka found it odd that this creature- wait, he hasn’t even bothered to check what it was. Haruka’s eyes trailed down the creature’s body, immediately noticing the bare chest and the swishing green tail attached to it. Haruka found himself in the clutches of a merman. While this was nothing new, Haruka couldn’t help but feel extremely uneasy.

The merman reached down with other hand- the one that wasn’t still holding on to Haruka’s arm like a life-line- and grasped on the net on Haruka’s pack. He tugged on it, his eyes narrowing in confusion. Haruka took hold of the bag himself, making sure to move slowly, and gently pulled out the shell. The merman’s eyes widened in excitement, letting go of Haruka’s arm and reaching for it with his tanned hands. 

Haruka pulled the shell back towards his chest, not letting the merman get any closer to it. To his surprise, the merman didn’t show any anger, but let a sad frown cross his handsome features. The merman’s brunet hair floated around his head as he carefully moved forward with pleading eyes.

The shell in Haruka’s hands must be important. He was taking a sea creature’s property- he couldn’t do that without more guilt hanging over his shoulders. Haruka inwardly sighed before handing the shell over to the merman, who happily clapped his hands together. The merman took the shell in his hands, the sparkle on it somehow becoming even more radiant than before.

Haruka felt himself smile softly at the sight. It was oddly peaceful down here. Everything was still except for the merman’s hands, which brushed over the shell with gentle precision, as if he were tracing a pattern over it. His eyes suddenly met Haruka’s blue ones, sharp with intent and purpose.

Reeling back, Haruka realized that he needed to check his air tank. A glance let him know exactly what he had expected- it was about empty. He needed to get to the surface now. He let himself take one more look at the merman and the shell (it was something he could paint later, after all), but all thoughts of going back to the surface stopped.  
The merman was smiling. The way he looked was disarming. Every thought Haruka- Haruka? Who was that? Himself? He blinked and looked down at his hands. They were becoming blurry. Was his eyesight messed up? He was going to black out if didn’t get air, which meant he had to… what?

He blinked at the merman, who swam the rest of the small distance between them. Haruka felt awe as the merman traced his face with a finger, a pleased smile on his face. The merman’s features began to unfocus as Haruka found himself gasping for air. 

It was all black.

Haruka blearily opened his eyes to see the clear, blue sky, just as bright as it was earlier. Not a cloud was in the sky, so the sunlight beat down on him mercilessly. Taking a slow, deep breath, Haruka carefully sat up. He was surprised to see that he was back on shore, near the rocky outcropping where he had dived.   
Slowly, he blinked in shock. He had seen a merman. A nice one, apparently, since Haruka didn’t have his mask on and was still alive. That’s right- he felt woozy all of the sudden because of his lack of air, and blacked out. The merman had saved his life.

Haruka looked out onto the ocean, the current rolling back and forth. He felt embarrassed- usually he was much better prepared than this. He lifted up both of his hands to rub at his face, yet paused when he felt something fall out of one of his hands.

A green shell.


End file.
